Houston Breakthrough, December 1980 - January 1981 - Page 14. December 1980 - January 1981. Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries. University of Houston Digital Library. Web. December 9, 2016. http://digital.lib.uh.edu/collection/feminist/item/1226/show/1211.

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Transcript

1977
Redbook magazine found in a survey of
9000 women that 88% of them experienced some form of sexual harassment on
on the job. A few months later, writer
Karen Barrett documented a case of sexual abuse in the City of Houston's Community Development Division. Several
women employees accused their boss,
Tom Neely, of sexual harassment. After
an internal investigation, Neely received
only a reprimand. To our surprise, no
other news media picked up on our
story. A month later in an editorial,
"Sounds of Si!ence," we asked readers
to consider the fact that a city emplo
yee was recently fired for the improper
use of a city vehicle, yet Neely received
only a written reprimand for his abusive
treatment. "It is staggering to think that
our city officials consider city property
more important than their female workers."
The only city official to take an interest in the case was the City Women's
Advocate, Nikki Van Hightower, who
conducted her own investigation. In
correspondence with John Castillo, the
CDD director (now an executive assistant
to Mayor McConn), Van Hightower wrote;
"Your response has been a 'a slap on the
wrist' and transfers the guilt to the women, the victims of the offense."
Her defense of the women in this incident and other public criticisms of sexism in city government soon put Van
Hightower at odds with the city council.
A month later (March 5) she spoke
before a Women's Day Rally in Sam
Houston park. The following Wednesday,
seven citizens objected before city council to her appearance at the rally as well
as her support of both the ERA and a
women's right to choose abortion. That
afternoon, the city council voted to lower
her salary from over $18,000 to one
dollar a year.
In a matter of hours, hundreds of
people appeared before city council and
attended a support rally but the council
turned around and voted to abolish the
Women's Advocate position. After adjournment, Mayor Fred Hofheinz hired
her as an executive assistant with the
same duties (see illustration 7).
The Women's Advocate story was the
dominant women's story in 1977, surpassed only by the 30,000 women and men
who descended on Houston for the IWY
conference, November 19—21. For three
days, Breakthrough went daily. (At our
five year birthday party for Ms. magazine
that July, Gloria Steinem encouraged
us to take on an IWY conference daily
similar to one published at Mexico City
in 1975). Planning for it began early
that summer. By the convention's end,
almost 100 people—13 reporter/photographer teams worked with us to gather
news and distribute 30,000 issues daily.
Our plan of action was to give responsible coverage. In other words, to avoid
another Mexico City. Our political cartoon in the first conference issue (see
illustration 4 ) was directed at the press.
With 2000 journalists in search of a story:
they could focus on the issues or the dissent. We carried background stories to
show that the dissent was not woman-
against-woman, but rather right wing
against the progressive forces.
Right wing demonstrators tried to disrupt the first meeting of the IWY national commissioners in Houston in July,
1977 (see photo of Bella Abzug 2 ).
Despite rumors of impending confrontations between anti and pro ERA groups,
the biggest news was trying to find a
hotel room. (See photo5). People waited
for six hours or more at the Hyatt Regency, renamed the Riot Hegency, blocking doors and fencing in mounds of
luggage.
But at the convention press room
Gabrielle Cosgriff and Cheryl Knott said
their biggest thrill was seeing reporters from Japan, Sweden, France and all
over the country, read Breakthrough
stories to their news desks. No more
Mexico Citys.
14
HOUSTON BREAKTHROUGH